Shokubo
by ChocolateBunnyChan
Summary: Many years ago a young Clark Kent visited Japan with his grandfather leading to perhaps a destined meeting with a young woman named Kun Loon. Warning: Kagome's Feudal adventure was VERY different and the aftermath could not have been at a worse time. Superman is Kagome's biological father.
1. Chapter 1

**Before I go stepping on any die-hard comic buff's toes I really only know very limited amounts of info from the DC universe. Namely the 90's animated Superman and Batman, the original Superman movie from the 70's (?), the 2000's Justice League (I never saw all the episodes), and only the first season of young justice- I was told there was some sort of rushed time skip thing so yeah I'm not really wanting to watch the 2** **nd** **season… Oh and that Son of Batman that was on Netflix (I have few words for that amount of strangeness…)**

 **So I'm just gonna mesh all the stuff I know together simply because I know nothing about any single coherent timeline. And I just can't remotely bring myself to read comics- the art style just bothers me way too much to even want to read them somehow- just not my thing.**

 **I don't own Young Justice or InuYasha.**

"The only good one of them, Clark m'boy!" PawPaw Kent shook his cane to emphasize his words and Clark was half worried the man would fall with the force of his movements, "My friend Kobayashi- the Jap with th' blue peepers!"

"Yes, PawPaw." Clark absently agreed as he readjusted the several suitcases he was handling as he followed his grandfather through the airport. They weighed practically nothing, curiously enough but they were still awkward. Too bad Pa didn't have a duffle with wheels. Clark was borrowing Pa's leather suitcase and using his school backpack. PawPaw had two suitcases- one bearing gifts and some supplies and the other held his clothes. And of course he couldn't just let his grandfather carry one of the suitcases- the man could barely balance his own body let alone counterbalancing a suitcase.

"Clark, you dolt! Get out the tickets! Here's our gate!" PawPaw huffed as they reached their terminal.

He'd hoped to spend his summer like any other 16, nearly 17 year old. Namely getting Lana Lang to look his way- perhaps even a date! But with her dating that lunk-head on the football team Clark knew his chances were slim. Plus he didn't feel right leaving Ma and Pa alone to tend the farm. But he'd feel even worse if something happened to PawPaw in Japan!

He was nearly 80 years old and while still sharp as a tack, it was not the best age to go globetrotting at!

It would be Clark Kent's first time flying on a plane and going much of anywhere at all! The State Fair and tour of Kansas in the 6th grade by bus really paled in comparison.

The fact of it was, that coming from a farming family meant they couldn't really just up and travel on family vacations- hiring people to look after the farm even for a few days was simply too much of an expense. As it was these tickets for PawPaw and him were sure to make more than a pretty dent in Ma and Pa's wallet.

Clark already knew in the back of his mind to not expect new clothes for the start of the upcoming school year and very sparse Christmas gifts. But he'd known about the trip for the past couple months and had done some lawn mowing jobs and odd jobs for a few of the other farms to raise some pocket money of his own.

He'd always daydreamed of flying like most other people had at one point or another. But a good portion of his classmates had flown on planes and had shared the experience with him after much begging on his then elementary school-aged self's part.

Sixteen hours of half listening to PawPaw's war stories and trying to sleep, thrillsville. But Clark had been content enough to stare out at the clouds, marveling at how high they were.

"So mind telling me again how you and Kobayashi are friends, PawPaw?" Clark asked despite knowing the tale from the time he'd been old enough to be already thoroughly bored of it. He just didn't want to hear the story about Spam on the Pacific Beaches again.

"It was on the island Tulagi in August of 1942, I was in the Marines and we were moving inland. In all the fighting a civilian hut caught fire an' I heard a baby an' lady screaming. I couldn't let something like that happen- I'd only just married your Grandma not a few month earlier. And the thought wouldn't leave me 'what if that were my Doris in there?'

But apparently I wasn't the only one with similar thoughts- a Jap rushed in the same moment I did. We stared at each other before we came to a silent agreement 'we'd fight later- these lives were far more important.' I grabbed the baby and small child, an Kobayashi grabbed the lady. No sooner had we gotten out, the hut collapsed. I was close enough to kill 'em and he me. But he did the strangest thing, he nodded at me. Then I realized he had blue peepers like I did. After that we kept running into one another battle after battle, but we never shot at one another."

A bond that had been forged between two patriotic men though Clark suspected it was because the two were fundamentally _good_ men despite the time, war, and cultural differences.

A bond that had led the two men to exchange letters with the help of interpreters for over 50 years. Kobayashi was of all things, a Shinto priest before he'd been urged to join the Japanese military. After the war he'd returned to being a priest just as PawPaw had returned to being a farmer.

It would make a very compelling novel Clark decided, maybe one day he'd write it.

The only problem with actually being in Japan: neither he nor PawPaw knew a lick of Japanese. Well, PawPaw knew crude curse words he'd learned in the war to spew at enemy soldiers- but nothing that would help them.

Thankfully the airport had told them the trains they needed to take to get to what seemed to be a very rural mountain community. After nerve wracking bus ride up narrow curving mountain roads they arrived at a small town.

They showed the letter Mr. Kobayashi had sent them in order to indicate where they wanted to get to until a farmer had seemingly instructed a young son to lead them to where Mr. Kobayashi lived. The child had a close buzzcut and kind smile as he stared up in awe of Clarks height. Clark felt like something of a giant here, having reached over six feet in height. The boy didn't attempt much conversation beyond a friendly 'Herro' as he guided them through the town. He took them to what seemed to be the start of a hill that had grey stones jutting out in the form of impressive stairs.

There was a girl crouched by the start of the stairs, she was facing away from them and had her hands cupped. Whatever was in her hands evidently escaped and she swiftly tried to recapture it.

PawPaw cleared his throat, a grating sound startling the young lady. She was wearing an outfit of some sort, long billowing red pants and a white top with bell sleeves. Her wavy hair was short and she had chocolate brown eyes.

"Ah! Herro! You are Kento-san? Ji-san waiting to meet!" She chirped in heavily accented English. It took a moment to realize what she'd said, but Clark nodded. Then began the very long accent that had required five rest stops for his grandfather. If he hadn't been playing pack mule Clark would have offered to carry the elderly man up.

At the top of the stairs waited a hunched and wrinkled old man in an outfit similar to the girl's only he had blue bottoms and an impressive overcoat. But watery blue eyes stares a Clark and he knew instantly who the man must be.

The two elderly men's blue eyes met and for a long moment the two merely stared at one another before smiles broke out and the two men shook hands.

"Kento!" "Kobayashi, you old dog!" PawPaw Kent greeted just as warmly.

"I am Kun Loon, granddaughter. Grandfather very happy you are here!" The girl translated clumsily with an earnest smile that Clark couldn't help but return.

"Boy, that's swell!" So his parents were older and he'd picked up some older-fashioned words, so sue him!

"'Swellu'?" Kun Loon asked.

"Uh, It means really good? I guess?" Clark wondered, not used to having to explain basic slang he'd never really thought about.

She smiled sweetly up at him, "Ah, then yes! Is 'swellu'!"

Clark felt his heart flutter at the way she said 'swell' in such an endearing manner.

He wasn't at all like the rogue-ish Americans she'd seen in the movies. He was kind and a good person to the very core. Kun Loon had always been an unusually good judge of character.

Despite his towering height of 6 feet compared to her own 5 feet 2 inches she never felt unsafe around him. Which was a good thing as they tended to be paired off as their grandfathers seemed to transcend the language barrier between them.

The four of them took trips to various sights and she was expected to play translator for them. A daunting task, considering that she was not terribly good at it. Or so she thought. She was always glad for the tours that offered English speaking guides.

A week into the two week visit and Clark found himself enjoying a different countryside. It was just as nice as the Kansas plains, though he found himself appreciative of the forests.

PawPaw and Kobayashi were somehow managing to argue in a joking way despite supposedly not knowing the other's language- Kun Loon whispered it was impressive how the two traded insults back and forth to the various vein of 'well your wife was surely a terrible cook- see how thin you are' or 'you wanna talk cooking old dog? I ate spam until it came outa my ears!' was met with an adamant 'I ate rice until even my stool was white!'

Clark could only take her word on it but the two old men seemed to enjoy being salty to one another. Friendship knew no boundaries.

KunLoon blushed and he supposed that the conversation was becoming crass- only to hear PawPaw say things that would have had Ma chasing after the old coot with soap to place in his mouth.

Definitely no longer polite conversation then, turning to Kun Loon he asked, "I haven't seen much of the shrine. Mind showing me around?"

After a moment she seemed to realize that he was also no longer comfortable sitting near the two old men now sharing rather *ahem* explicit stories. Grandma would have reamed PawPaw a new one if she knew about the 'twin pretties' PawPaw had met on that Pacific island, too bad she'd passed years ago.

Eagerly she lead Clark from the room and out into the mountains. It was late afternoon and it was heck-a humid, but still the two trekked up the mountain as Kun Loon spoke of the Shrine history- she was taking him to see the small shrine dedicated to the mountain god.

Halfway up the mountain they were caught in a sudden downpour.

"Ame!" Kun Loon despaired and he could hazard that it meant 'rain'. The two leapt up the path quickly, each well versed with the dangers of slick mud.

They stood drenched as they entered the small shed, it was a storage shed for various festival objects kept halfway up the mountain.

"Not best day to see small Shrine, Clark." Kun Loon muttered as she began to wring her sleeves. Clark followed suit and peeled off the plaid shirt, not realizing until a moment later that he really shouldn't just start undressing in front of Kun Loon.

And then it happened, before the apology could spring past his lips he felt her lips on his. Reciprocating eagerly he was surprised when she let him hold her in his arms as the kiss deepened. He hadn't thought she was attracted to him, though it was not hard to be attracted to her. She was so very kind, and her smile made him feel like he'd won the lottery hen she flashed it at him.

KunLoon smiled as she held his much larger hand, she was determined to enjoy this. For this may be the very last time to enjoy her youth. She'd heard the talks in her family's shrine- she was expected to be married soon. As a Kobayashi she was expected to uphold the family tradition of marrying into another shrine family to keep the tradition of priests and priestesses strong.

Her elder brother was already in line for head priest once her Grandfather passed, her father had shamed her family by fleeing his duties. The man had abandoned his family not long after KunLoon had been born for a life in the Yakuza. But Nobu Kobayashi had ended up dead not even a few years later in a drug bust. Noriko Kobayashi had served the family she'd married into faithfully as a priestess until an unusually strong summer flu had caused the woman's health to go on a downward spiral until she'd died when Kun Loon had been about to enter Highschool.

After her mother's death Kun Loon had been expected to take on many priestess duties. Thankfully since she lived in a very rural mountain community the few other girls in her highschool understood. The old traditions were still upheld in such a small place so it was not unusual to feel that time passed very serenely and lazily. She could at times almost understand why her father had fled. But in her own heart she knew the rural mountains would always be home. The thrill of exploring the woods and the laid back pace of life suited her to a 't'.

She'd been to Tokyo once and she'd felt as though she were drowning from the sheer hectic bustle of the city. She couldn't understand her classmate's desires to move to such a 'trendy' and 'better' place.

And it would seem her new friend was of the same mind, he was the son of farmers. She was glad that he was just as simple as she was, otherwise their new relationship would have been doomed.

Clark was different, somehow the shy but kind boy was special. She couldn't place a finger on what it was but the sentiment remained- he was destined for something amazing. And she would never regret having him be her very first love.

Ardently she wondered if she could convince him to become a Shinto priest so that he could stay with her. If only Clark were Japanese. Then a pang of shame for daring to wish that Clark was anything more than what he already was.

The two young lovers basked in one another as the storm raged around the small shed, each one creating a memory they would never forget.

Two weeks after her friend Clark left Kun Loon accepted the Omiai to meet one young man named Takeru Higurashi. He was 26 years of age and worked surprisingly as a businessman at a small company that manufactured computer parts. He was still a priest, yet had come to an agreement with his father that he would take on his role as head priest in a few years.

A week later the two decided to proceed with the engagement. They were determined to at least try to find happiness with one another- each hopeful that love would form in time. But with Kun Loon's elderly grandfather surely not long for this world and Takeru's mother suffering terminal cancer they decided to marry as soon as possible.

Ten months later a blue-eyed little girl was born and given the name Kagome Higurashi.

 **I'm just going to say that I'm using creative license with Kag's unusually long gestation time, all will be revealed later.**

 **Somehow I can see Clark having a salty old PawPaw Kent who never knew about Clark's otherworldly origin.**

 **Shokubo, according to Google means among many things: Hope. A fitting sentiment because apparently Superman's 'S' means 'hope' in Kryptonian. I think.**

 **This chap is a bit rough, mainly because I had no clue how to better place young- almost pre-power Clark in Japan. He always had the strength and speed but it only became more noticeable in his late teens like in the animated superman series, along with other powers.**


	2. Chapter 2

I still don't own InuYasha or Young Justice/Justice League.

Clark could speak Japanese now, along with most of Earth's primary languages. But he was currently mild mannered, _only-speaks-english_ Clark Kent as he pretended to be flustered and lost with a tourist map in hand.

Not a difficult thing to do, considering the many narrow roads were easy enough get lost in.

He wondered why he was here. A week ago a translated letter had arrived at Ma and Pa's much the way the letters for PawPaw had been delivered when the man was still alive. Ma and Pa had forwarded it to him in Metropolis.

It had been almost 12 years since Clark had heard from his friend, it made him wonder why she was reaching out now.

He'd called the phone number included in he letter- Kun Loon had insisted that he contact her as soon as possible. The letter seemed frantic and urgent.

When he got ahold of Kun Loon he could hear nothing but panic and relief that he'd responded. She'd refused to say what was wrong but pleaded that he come to Japan as soon as he was able. He'd attempted to reason with her- Clark Kent was not a man who could up and go to Japan on a spur of the moment. Superman on the other hand…

"Clark, please! Please you come soon? Please!" She dissolved into heartbreaking sobs which eventually moved him into promising to come. He'd fly to Japan tomorrow night and return before anyone was the wiser.

"I'll try to catch the next plane out." He lied, no need for a plane when one could fly.

Clark hadn't expected his heart to clench when he saw a familiar figure at the top of the stairs. Her hair was shorter, but she looked as though she had not aged a day. Her brown eyes were puffy and red as though she'd been crying.

Once she realized it was him, there was no hesitation she all but threw herself at him in a grateful hug. It only took him a moment to return the hug.

"Clark! You came! You came!" she leaned back and smiled at him as she took him by the hand to lead him to what seemed to be her home. It was a shrine and the fact did not surprise him at all. It was strange to see her in the city, but the same could be said of country-boy Clark living in Metropolis.

"My daughter, Kagome." She said as she handed him a picture of a smiling little girl, "She is missing."

Clark wondered why he'd been summoned to japan for a missing child case, "I'm not sure why you called me here Kun Loon. Wouldn't your reporters be better at finding her? Here, in Japan? I mean I'd be glad to swing it by my boss Perry but- "

"You.. you no understand. Clark this important!" she begged in her broken English as she put in a VHS tape.

A smiling little girl in a pale yellow tee shirt with a sunflower on it sat with a birthday cake in front of her. Other children were sitting around the table eyeing the cake that had been placed in front of her. A toddler, Kun Loons other child he realized as he spied a picture of the boy in the corner of the living room, stood next to the girl crying about wanting to be the one to blow out the candles. The girl looked irritated as any sibling would be but seemed to reluctantly allow the younger boy blow out half the candles.

Clark only found himself even more lost. What was _Clark Kent_ to do about a missing Japanese child? "Kun Loon, I don't-." He began as she brought a swift finger to his lips silencing him.

Kun Loon shook her head as she pulled out a second VHS tape and loaded it into the VCR.

The film started and Clark had no choice but to watch.

At first Kun Loon's voice could be heard, presumably she was the one behind the camera taping. She was panning around the kitchen taking stock of broken shelves her voice could be heard stating the recording was for filing insurance claims after an earthquake. This went on for a few minutes before a deep rumble sounded again and several more cabinets fell to the floor in a cacophony of shattering china. Even the refrigerator seemed to shake dangerously back and forth with the earthquake.

The sound of something heavy falling came from somewhere off screen that was accompanied by a shrill, high pitched scream of "MAMA"!

It was a younger sounding version of the little girl from the previous tape, Kagome was it? She was screaming for her mother over and over again. The camera became blurry and unfocused as Kun Loon ran to where the cries were coming from. The little girl stood in what seemed to be the master bedroom that had a heavy looking wardrobe that had toppled over from the quake. " _Souta-chan's under there Mama!_ " The child cried loudly in Japanese as her face scrunched up in distress.

The camera clattered to the floor at an angle that showed Kun Loon attempting to lift the dresser with little success. The little girl in the yellow patchwork dress crouched next to her mother and a loud splintering of wood could be heard as tiny hands gripped into it.

The little girl then proceeded to lift the heavy dresser up over her head. The baby boy beneath the dresser was crying but he'd been unharmed thankfully due to a drawer having been open- keeping him from being crushed. Scooping the baby up Kun Loon looked him over before staring at the little girl who held up the dresser easily, " _Is my baby brother okay, Mama?_ "

They were Kobayashi-san's blue eyes he supposed- striking in their sharp deep blue color, she was perhaps a bit paler than the average Japanese child. But the strength was unmistakable.

He had a daughter. A little girl who was now _missing_. She had been missing for _three weeks_. Every worst scenario raced through his mind and he almost felt faint. He might even be sick he registered in the back of his head.

She handed him something and he looked down at what he was holding it was a mug with the El shield on it. His eyes snapped up and her own warm brown ones met his in a knowing stare, "You _help_ find Kagome, please?"

She patted his hand softly and assured him before he could even unstick the question from his throat. She _knew._

Motioning to the Superman mug she softly told him, "I no tell. Why I do that? You are my friend, Clark-san."

And she meant it, there was no lie in her voice. She would never willingly give up his identity.

"I knew the moment you save Lois Lane from falling off building when it show on news." She gently raised up her hand to her heart, "I knew in my heart it you. My handsome American farm boy."

Then she cocked her head to the side and said, "Swellu."

In that moment Clark was a 17 year old boy once more marveling at the woman before him, her gentle kindness that made him realize all of the reasons he wanted to protect this planet.

He very nearly fell in love with her once again. But to tell the truth he wasn't sure he'd ever truly fallen out of love with her.

He wouldn't lie to himself- he'd been devastated to find out that she'd accepted an arranged marriage not long after he'd visited. PawPaw had gotten a letter about the upcoming marriage from Kobayashi-san and Clark had been crushed.

He'd spent many moping teenage nights wondering if he should have proposed to her before he'd left, or if she had simply used him, even lamenting the fact she'd probably been too sweet to say no to the marriage.

And once he'd started developing his powers he'd entertained the fantasy of flying back to Japan and finding her. In his teenage fantasy he'd imagined he'd find her miserably married to a man she didn't love but was too dutiful to leave. And Clark would use his powers to save her from that, taking her back to Smallville with him. But he never had.

Seeing no need to hide the fact that he could speak Japanese Clark spoke, " _Tell me everything you know. Anything that will help me find her."_

Her eyes widened at the sound of him speaking before she gave a sad smile, " _Kagome had her 11th birthday only the day before. Her little brother said she was playing in the well house with him when a 'Monster' came and took her. I've searched everywhere for her!"_

" _I'll do my best to find her, Kun Loon, I swear to you._ " Clark promised as Kun Loon as he enveloped her in a much needed hug.

Every moment he could spare would go into searching for Kagome.

" _I'm sorry I never told you, I never even knew she wasn't Higurashi-san's until after he died. How could I? We were only together a short while, I married two months after you left and did not seem to be pregnant at the time. And the doctors told me she was a healthy, normal term baby when she was born. There was nothing unusual when I went to my prenatal appointments back then… if anything they were worried that she was on the smaller side during development._

 _It became clear when I recognized you in that costume as Superman. I knew you were strong, but thought it was from working on a farm. Boys in my village were strong too from farming and hard manual work, so I never questioned your ability to carry so many heavy suitcases…_

 _But I never realized you were strong enough to catch a helicopter with one hand! And at that point it wouldn't have been safe for you or Kagome-chan. You have many enemies…_ " Kun Loon said gently, he could feel his heart protest. But his mind realized that yes, if he'd known about a child back when he was just starting out as a superhero, there was the chance he would have given it all up to protect them. And the Earth _needed_ him.

After a lightning fast search of the shrine that told him nothing and a very thorough telescopic scan of the surrounding town with his eyes Clark reluctantly left with a promise that he'd be back very soon.

She'd given him many of the VHS tapes that were of Kagome, in hopes that he'd be better able to find her. It was sound reasoning- if he could recognize her voice he'd be able to listen for it. The video quality prevented him from hearing a good sample of her heartbeat, the best way for him to locate a person really.

He sat in his Fortress of Solitude converting VHS into Kryptonian crystal- a very complex task. Clark watched a happy little girl, feeling what he supposed was parental adoration as the videos played long into the night.

The small jealous part of him wanted to hate the late Mr. Higurashi, hate the fact that the man had married Kun Loon and raised his daughter. But he found that he couldn't. Because in all of the VHS tapes (and there were _many_ ) Higurashi had been nothing but a good husband and father.

The sheer attentiveness the man displayed in his videotaping spoke of his love for his family. Everything from taping two year old Kagome playing in a large refrigerator box that had been crudely turned into a little 'house' with uneven windows and door cut from the cardboard to the man's valiant attempts to catch Kagome's first words and steps on camera.

And the way those little blue eyes would brighten as she caught sight of the camera and chirped a sweet, "Hi Papa!" made him almost believe the recorded child was saying it to _him_.

~~!~!~!~!~!~!

Clark tapped his fingers incessantly throughout the entire Justice League meeting. It was unfair of him and a bit rude, true, but he didn't see the reason he needed to be included in budgeting meetings. That was Bruce's job- he was the man contributing the most capital aside from Oliver. He was just a super powered alien with a degree in journalism if he was brutally honest. And he'd tried to pull that card but as always Bruce called his bluff.

The single raised brow, "Right. With your level of intelligence you've _never_ used it to analyze stock trends. Or track money laundering for the byline."

Damn. But Clark was too proud a man to admit he'd been caught. So he sat silently for the entirely too long meeting. His 11 year old daughter was still very much missing and was likely scared and alone. In all of the videos Kagome acted so much like Kun Loon it hurt his chest to think such a sweet child had been taken. And interviewing the four year old Souta Higurashi was moot.

The toddler insisted that a 'monster' took Kagome- a woman with the body of a centipede. He'd followed up on every known super villain with an even remotely similar identity.

When that lead had panned out to nothing he'd researched all the female entomologists in Tokyo. Nothing.

The child wasn't lying - there were no signs that indicated he was. The boy honestly believed he saw a monster, and in his mind perhaps he did. But that may not have been what actually happened.

Souta's insistence became unreliable to Clark, especially after he witnessed the boy refusing to go to bed alone after accidentally watching a few moments of a children's show called "Mighty Go-Go Rangers" because he was afraid the villain from the show would come out of the television.

For all Superman knew the account of the abductor may not have even been an actual woman, perhaps a man with long hair?

"-Ck. Clark!" Blue eyes refocused to the meeting only to realize he was the last one in the conference room. It was over?

"The meeting has been over for the last ten minutes." Batman loomed in a corner watching him. Great, that meant Bruce had been watching him being lost in thought like a creep. And he couldn't call him out on it without being the dunce who'd sat at an empty table and let himself be watched.

The Batman trusted Superman as far as he could throw him, which was not terribly far considering Superman weighed give or take 230-ish pounds and taller than him. And vice versa. So needless to say, he trusted Bruce an awful lot.

"Mind telling me about the increased Superman sightings in Japan and SouthEast Asia?"

So the Batman had indeed noticed. Superman only wished he were even slightly surprised.

"There's a drought- plenty of accidental brush fires for me to help with." He stated easily. And it was true enough. He'd stoped a few fires in his search for Kagome.

The man was indeed not called 'the worlds greatest detective' for nothing. But this was intensely personal to the Kryptonian. He wasn't about to air the fact he'd found out about a missing daughter. Or the inevitable fact that he'd fathered a child at age 17. There had to be some boundaries for the League. Personal problems needed to be kept just that: personal. As far as he could tell there was no supervillian involvement that would warrant the need to bring in the League.

And Bruce Wayne was one of the worst people to tell. Not because he would tell, but the fact that the man contingency plans for every member of the League. Clark was very much aware that he'd acquired a pice of kryptonite that was located somewhere on his utility belt. How did he know?

Simple really, considering Batman's belt never used to be lead-lined.

Clark wasn't sure how he felt about the fact Bruce felt the need to carry kryptonite on his person. On one hand, it was nice to know that if he ever did go out of control there was someone who could stop him. But it was also a constant reminder that something so threatening was there. Like keeping a bomb in your house- yes, you'd maybe feel some form of protection from other people, but it was still a _bomb_.

The last thing he wanted was a contingency plan made for his daughter, though it was likely that the kryptonite meant for him would be used on her. And Clark refused to even let himself think on that topic. What if at that very moment she was being tortured by some dark organization with kryptonite?

"Careful, or I might be inclined to ask what Bruce Wayne is up to, suddenly adopting a newly orphaned nine-year old boy." He verbally jabbed the man. The slight twitch of the Dark Crusader's jaw was the only tell that he'd struck a nerve.

While he wasn't as ardent or obsessed as the Dark Knight with knowing everyone's personal business, Clark _did_ have far better eyes than any human along with super-hearing. If he focused he could even hear Ma and Pa's hearts from out here in space.

Sighing he said, "It's personal Bruce. If I need your advice or help I'll ask for it. I imagine you'd do the same."

"…Sure." came the gruff reply. The day Batman needed help was the day Mr. Freeze froze Hell over.

Still he managed a small smile and clapped the other man's shoulder gently, "Have a good patrol."

"I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for, try and be a bit more discrete." Was all the caped crusader said, "Just stay out of Gotham."

A cold sweat trickled down his back, oh he prayed to Rao she wasn't in Gotham.

Unbeknownst to him it would be four long, heartbreaking years before he ever saw his child. Or that a frightened four years old child's tale of a 'monster' was more true than he'd ever know.

 **Well? So yeah technically Kun Loon had virtually no reason to suspect Kagome wasn't Mr. Higurashi's. The math tallies up to about 11 months- longer than human gestation.**

 **In canon its implied that Mr. Higurashi died in a car accident before Souta was born. And sure Kagome may have broken toys a bit more often than other children, but she'd never displayed a feat of strength until Souta was nearly crushed by the wardrobe.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Young Justice or InuYasha**

It had been a normal Wednesday in April. Hump day as Jimmy Olsen might call it. He'd managed a meager two hour nap after an unexpected nuclear power plant near-meltdown in Hungary was adverted by him.

He may not need to sleep as much as a human (or at all for that matter) but he liked to get _some_ rest every few days.

Clark downed some coffee while getting ready for work. Thankfully Clark Kent was considered something of a 'rube hayseed' according to Lois, so he wasn't terribly bothered by the slight wrinkles in his shirt. His suit jacket would cover the wrinkled sleeves anyhow.

Just as he was about to leave his apartment his cell phone rang. If it was Lois demanding that meek 'lil Clark pick up and buy coffee (out of his own pocket too) for the whole office _again…_

But a glance at the phone proved him wrong, it was Kun Loon. His brain was on alert the moment he saw her name. She never called this early. Never in the past 4 years.

Kun Loon was forever considerate and mindful of the time difference and the fact that he might be in uniform unable to take calls freely. It tended to be his role to call letting her know he was fine and to simply talk. He usually skipped the phone altogether and would simply go to see her in person.

So the fact that she was calling him meant something was very wrong and he couldn't keep the sensation of dread that was starting to consume his stomach.

Her breathing was sharp and panicked. The thrum of her racing heart was loud and clear to his ears. Kun Loon was in trouble. Electric ice shot through his veins at the very notion of her in danger and he was already disrobing into uniform before she managed to utter a syllable.

" _Clark! Clark! It's Kagome! Hurry! I think she's dying! The well!"_

The phone was fumbled and he presumed she'd dropped it as he heard her pleading hysterically to… Kagome?

He heard " _Please, please! Kagome- Papa's coming. He'll help you. Oh Kami-sama! Please! Please!"_

 _~!~!~!~! Higurashi shrine, the well house_

Superman couldn't recall the last time he'd flown so quickly- he was sure to get flack from the other league members for the sonic boom, but he honestly didn't care right now. Kun Loon _needed_ him, _his daughter needed him._

At first Clark was convinced he was looking at the broken and mutilated corpse of his daughter. There was blood everywhere. The clothes she'd worn were now little more than rags that did nothing to preserve the girls modesty. Limbs lay in unnatural angles and deep bloody wounds covered her abdomen and back.

The twisted angle that she was in suggested she'd been haphazardly dumped into the ancient structure which evoked a slight tinge of anger beneath his consuming fear for the daughter he'd searched the world over for.

Every breath was a clear struggle- a wet, gurgling wheeze that was far too slow to sustain life for very long. As a Kryptonian he didn't _need_ to breath oxygen, he had no idea about a hybrid child.

His x-ray vision showed that her right lung was punctured by ribs. A half- kryptonian must be far less invulnerable to damage than him he realized. But she'd been harmed to an extent he'd never been. His suit had always kept him from damage as well.

Only her face was unmarked save for a single long scratch on the cheek. Kun Loon was already inside the well weeping and holding the girl's hand. It was clear she'd been attempting first aid-the contents of a first aid kit haplessly strewn around her as well as bloodied towels to hold pressure on some of the wounds.

"Clark! She say 'Mama'! Now she no say more!" She rattled in broken English before settling back into frenzied Japanese. But she was babbling at this point- saying over and over again she should have come and seen what the cat, Buyo, had been doing sooner.

The resident feline of the shrine had spent all morning pawing at the well house door while meowing. He'd even refused to come eat his breakfast- unheard of. It wasn't until after she'd been grocery shopping that afternoon that she'd decided to see just what the cat was so insistent for.

Descending into the well he let her cling to him as he tried to assess the situation.

For the first time in a very long time the man of steel did't know what to do. He couldn't take her to the Watchtower (he'd had powerful solar lamps installed should he ever be hurt and unable to fly up to receive the sun's rays) she wasn't authorized in the Zeta tubes. He wasn't sure if she could even breathe in space like he could. There was no way to get a space suit in such circumstances.

A normal hospital was out- a human hospital could do very little for a hybrid. Even now he could see her cells were as dense as his own, something like a needle would have a hard time piercing this skin. Which made her injuries all the more horrific- what could harm skin like his own?

" _Please hurry Clark! Save her, please!"_ Kun Loon placed a kiss upon the girl's brow, perhaps it was but a trick of the light but he almost saw a flash of pink. Lifting the girl into his arms he never noticed something fall from her right hand and roll into the corner of the well.

He didn't trust himself to speak, the lump in his throat would have mangled any words regardless so he settled for a firm nod. As always Kun Loon seemed to know what he wanted to say and managed the most heart-breaking smile through her tears, " _I know you'll do your best._ "

Leaping from the ancient structure in a single bound and outside he took to the sky as fast as he dared. Higher and higher, bursting through the clouds as his cape rippled around them he held the girl out to the sun, willing with all his might that she could use the sun's rays to heal. He even begged Krypton's deity, Rao in his mind.

Telescopic vision showed that her cells were indeed reacting, sluggishly.

If he could get her to the Fortress of Solitude, he could save her! He'd made back ups of the solar lamps on the Watchtower.

He did his best to keep her as exposed to the sun's healing rays as he flew.

He'd probably never been so relieved to see his fortress.

She was tiny for her age, just barely five feet. If even that he realized as he placed her upon the table and set up the lamps.

Long black hair that was matted with mud and dried blood was gathered up in a clumsy ponytail at the top of her head so that it would remain out of her wounds. He'd clean her hair later.

Gingerly he removed the tatters that were once her clothes. Staring at the bloodied remains he realized he recognized them. Or rather the sort they were. They were the remnants of a traditional miko outfit. He could never forget the outfit he'd first seen her mother in. But what could it mean?

Why had she been dressed like that?

Was it a message to him of some sort?

Clark refocused his mind, there would be time later to figure out what had happened to the poor girl.

She didn't even move when he set her bones, very painful he was sure. Internally she was a mess of trauma and ruptured organs that he could only leave to the powerful solar lamps to heal.

His mind was simply numb as he cleaned and disinfected what he could. He couldn't allow himself to think right now or he'd be beyond any sort of help to the girl. As it stood he knew he'd breakdown as soon as she was out of danger. If she survived.

"Superman! There's a crisis in Metropolis!" His communicator rattled in his ear and he had half the mind to crush it for breaking the unearthly silence. Kagome lay there upon the medical table as the intense and blinding lamps bore down upon her skin.

"Not now." He muttered as he pressed the communicator off. He… he couldn't face the world right now, couldn't dare leave her for even a moment. It had taken four painful years to find her. And he'd not been the one to even do that, no, Kun Loon had found her dying child in the very place Souta had claimed she'd disappeared from all those years ago.

He'd only just barely remembered to call in to his job at the Daily planet, he'd said 'family emergency' which could not be any more true. He only hoped Lois didn't go calling Ma and Pa. But his adoptive parents were quite good at covering for him these days. And if he was honest with himself Lois Lane didn't give a rat's ass about Clark Kent or his problems.

Taking the tiny hand of his daughter he finally let himself face his emotions as the last of the wounds slowly sealed up. He wept like the broken man the past few hours had forced him to become. All he could do now was wait once more. And hope that he had the strength to help his child.

!~!~!~!~!~! **four days later**

He should have known someone would come to check up on him. Superman couldn't hold back the small frown of annoyance as he reluctantly allowed Batman into the fortress.

"You aren't answering your calls." Short and to the point as always.

"…Something came up."

"Something big enough to make Superman abandon Metropolis when the Toyman wreaks havoc by placing bombs into stuffed bears?" The accusation was like a knife to the kryptonian.

Clark winced, he hadn't known that… "Was anyone hurt?"

Bruce didn't bother to sugar coat it, "Twenty children were hospitalized before Flash managed to locate all of the bombs. Metropolis is not very happy with you at the moment."

Batman's eyes narrowed, "The fact that you disappeared for five days begs the question: what's got you distracted?"

"Can't I just take some time off every once and a while?" Clark was unable to keep the dark knight from sweeping imperiously past him, deeper into the Fortress.

"No, not without warning. It's out of character." It was obvious that Bruce was now searching for whatever had kept Clark from Metropolis. Weighing the pro's and con's of keeping this from Batman Clark realized there was no way to keep this concealed. Perhaps he could even enlist Bruce's help in figuring out what had happened to Kagome.

Sighing heavily, he took the lead with a, "You'd have found out eventually. This way."

"What is this Superman?" Batman looked at Kagome's supine form in the lights. She looked peaceful now and garbed in a large t-shirt proclaiming 'Smallville U' that preserved her modesty reaching to just above her knees. Beneath that she wore a pair of his boxers that were comically too large to stay on if she were to stand, but it was more for the sake of modesty than function at the moment. After all he only had his own clothes here in the fortress and he'd never even thought to grab clothes for her on the way. His priority had been her life over anything else at the time.

Her hair had been washed and brushed revealing its true length down to the child's hips. Wherever she'd been they had not been equip to cut hair like his own, but he didn't dare cut it without Kun Loon's consent.

"… My daughter."

Batman was good at concealing shock, but the elevated heartbeat for 5 seconds gave him away.

"Start talking Kent. Now." He didn't need to look at Bruce to guess that he'd moved into a defensive pose. As if Kagome would suddenly awaken and fight. He almost wished she would.

"She's what I've been looking for these past four years. I can't tell you more than that because I wasn't even able to find her." Clark made his way to the chair he'd moved next to the table and sat with a sad smile, "She was nearly dead when her mother found her."

"Who is her mother?" Batman needed to know, he hadn't thought the Kryptonian capable of producing offspring. It was a potentially dangerous development.

"A human." He wasn't going to let Kun Loon be faced with someone like Batman. Though he doubted even Bruce would be capable of withstanding Kun Loon's kindness with his Batman persona.

"A scientist? Your DNA is incompatible with human DNA." Bruce knew because he knew everything he could about Clark. And leaving that hairbrush in his locker on the Watchtower was foolish. Because even Superman's hair (though very rarely) shed.

"Not at all. Housewife if you must know." He glared at his ally, "How did you-"

"Or at least that's what you think." Batman cut Clark off. For such a powerful and intelligent being, Clark could be very gullible. So very willing to see the good in everyone.

Lois Lane had played the alien like a chump for her Pulitzer. Thankfully he'd thought the man had wised up to the reporter's manipulations. It had honestly seemed that way: the number of times Superman had saved the daring reporter had dramatically decreased over the past few years. The conclusion Bruce had come to was that the man had simply moved on.

Now he wasn't so sure- perhaps Clark had let himself be ensnared by some self-proclaimed 'housewife'.

The man of steel let out a soft huff as he turned back to the child and gently took her hand . He didn't want to hear anyone talk about Kun Loon like that.

He failed to notice Batman picking up a bloodied piece of gauze that Clark had used to wipe away the blood on Kagome's leg that had rolled beneath the table.

"Please leave now, Bruce." Clark requested before giving him a sidelong glance, "If there's a major emergency the league can contact me. Otherwise I'm not leaving until my daughter is awake again."

!~!~!~!~!~! **One week later**

"Its been a over a week Clark. Superman can't be MIA for much longer." Batman was now seriously considering forcing Clark to install a zeta tube to this arctic wasteland. It was a pain to fly up here in the jet. But he knew that if he forced the kryptonian to install a zeta tube in the fortress he'd be obligated to do the same for the bat cave. Not happening.

The man looked bad, there was stubble on his jaw and his perfect hair was messy. He'd changed out of his suit donning instead a grey sweatsuit that proudly declared "Smallville University". A glaring large mustard stain was visible on the left sleeve. Somehow he doubted the man had slept since he last saw him.

Dragging the hero from seclusion was not the only reason for intruding, his lab results on the girl were pressing.

Batman deliberated on his findings, not wanting his friend to be hurt. But Clark needed to know."… You say she's half kryptonian?"

"Her mother is a human." Clark muttered softly as he held the tiny pale hand in his own much larger one. Diligently he watched the soft rise and fall of her chest- assuring himself that she was still breathing alongside listening to the heartbeat he'd already committed to memory.

"Not according to this." Batman handed over several medical documents. Clark couldn't even find it in himself to be angry with Bruce, the Dark Knight _would_ use the chance to get blood samples from his child. Heck it wouldn't even shock him if Batman had copies of his tax forms. Bruce Wayne _did_ own the Daily Planet and as such had access to Clark Kent's W2 forms…

Reluctantly he let go of Kagome's hand as he perused the papers with Batman standing ever stoically over him.

Blue eyes flashed up in alarm as the papers wrinkled in his grasp, "This can't be right!"

The grim scowl did not change as Bruce gruffly replied, "I know."

Unless Kun Loon was a Kryptonian in disguise these results should not be possible. But Kun Loon was completely human- she had human organs that he'd seen numerous times with his xray vision. But he'd seen the video tapes- from Takeru Higurashi videotaping Kagome as a newborn in the hospital that pointed to the girl having been indeed born from Kun Loon.

His daughter was full kryptonian. Shock settled back on his face as he held the tiny hand once more.

"How?"

With all of the internal trauma he'd never noticed, not really. With her literally being a hybrid born of a human mother and himself, he'd not noticed that internally there was really nothing human about her. Simply assumed that she took more after her kryptonian heritage. He'd never even considered the possibility that she was fully kryptonian- that wasn't how genetics worked.

Bruce couldn't say. It was an even more impossible happening than the girl's very existence. He'd triple checked- by all rights Clark should not even be a father. The DNA was too different for him to have an offspring with a human naturally. There was something else at play here and Batman didn't like it one bit.

"I suggest you give her back to her mother, you can't keep hiding like this. The criminals in Metropolis have already noticed your absence and if you don't want to deal with a crime wave I suggest you hurry back. Martian Manhunter and the Flash and I can't keep covering for you."

"I'm not leaving until she wakes up." He stood firm. He was touched that his friends had stepped in to watch over Metropolis, he'd be sure to repay the favor.

"… Thanks, I appreciate it. Need fuel for the ride home?" He walked Batman out of the Fortress.

~!~!~!~! **Later that day**

He'd been working on some articles for Perry (he'd said Pa'd suffered a minor heart attack and that he was staying with his parents for a few weeks to help them out. Perry bought it and Ma knew the cover story.) It was a pain but he'd managed to ring his own internet connection to the Fortress, untraceable as far as he knew, so that he could still do some work.

Despite being Superman he still needed to pay for his ridiculous little apartment in Metropolis. Crushing coal into diamonds while very tempting, was in the long run a bad idea…

Rubbing his eyes out of pure habit Clark glanced to where Kagome was under the lamps only to find her missing. And the comically large boxers had clearly slid off when she'd apparently gotten up. There'd been no sound of her moving! He didn't hesitate to use his speed to locate her.

"Kagome! You, you're standing!" He rushed to the girl who was staggering in the most uncoordinated manner towards the entrance of the Fortress. Her gait was a strange shuffle of one foot and then the other while her arms hung loosely at her sides, her head was tilted to the right just barely being held up from her shoulder. Each step made her body sway like she was fighting against heavy winds.

"Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?" In his haste he forgot that she might not speak English.

There was no response. Dull blue eyes blinked slowly and did not seem to quite reach his. They were glazed and somehow… empty if he had to choose a word.

Without warning she lost her balance, but Clark caught her, "Kagome?"

He was still in his Smallville U sweats and he'd not really thought maybe today she'd wake up. He'd spent the first week in his uniform, thinking that she'd wake up at any moment and be scared.

Most children (and adults for that matter) were not afraid of Superman- he kept people safe. And he didn't want Kagome to think for a single moment she wasn't safe.

Clark had come to the conclusion two years ago that when he found Kagome there would be no lies- he wouldn't hide the fact that he was Superman from her. He couldn't even if he wanted- she'd inherited his powers. Or someday would. He knew she had his strength according to the home video of her lifting the dresser.

Lifting her small form into his arms she didn't struggle as he spoke softly in Japanese, _"You're safe Kagome. My name is Clark Kent but you probably know me as Superman. I brought you here to help you. You were hurt badly."_

He continued speaking soothingly as he made his way back to the solar lamps, pointing out bits of kryptonian technology- eager to share the fortress of his heritage with his child. The girl hardly reacted to a thing he said. Setting her back onto the table he used his speed to get into costume.

Blank eyes looked beyond him utterly ignoring the speedy costume change he'd pulled to prove that he was indeed, the man of steel.

" _I also wanted to tell you something important. I know that now might not be the best time and it may be a lot to take in but you need to know. Kagome, Takeru Higurashi may have raised you, but I am your father. I've been searching for you the moment your mother told me you were missing."_

 _That_ should have gotten some reaction, but there was nothing. A sinking feeling made itself known in Clark's heart.

Using his X-ray vision he looked at her brain- there wasn't any sign of damage that he could see. He even consulted the crystal of Jor-El to ask about kryptonian illnesses and physiology along with reconstructed kryptonian medical technology. But even the advanced extraterrestrial technology stated that she was completely healthy.

But something was very obviously wrong with her, even her gait was off. When she stood it was in a clumsy manner with a great deal of swaying.

The strange determination to make it to the doors was curious. After the third time of redirecting her and taking her back to the solar lamps Clark simply let her make her way, watching. Trying to make sense of the behavior.

There was no emotion behind anything. Kagome simply silently staggered along, occasionally loosing all muscle tone like a marionette whose strings were cut. But she never lost consciousness and slowly picked herself back up.

When she finally made it to the doors of the Fortress she simply stood. There was no attempt to break down the door, it was like she was waiting. If he opened the doors it was likely she'd keep staggering along for whatever purpose.

After three hours of her simply waiting at the door he asked her if she wanted to go home, to see her mother. Finally he heard her speak.

It was soft and somehow wispy, "M… Ma…Ma." As thought it took all of her concentration to get the words out.

But it proved to him that there was _something_ there, that his child was no mere vegetable as he'd begun to fear. That there was hope. That perhaps she simply needed time in a familiar environment.

It was with a heavy heart that Kagome was returned home the next day to a grateful Kun Loon who embraced the both of them. Holding her in his arms he swore he'd visit as often as he was able.

It turned out Clark found himself back in Japan that very next evening. Kun Loon had called him in a panic stating Kagome had fallen into the well again.

Entering the structure with her he listened as she told him that Kagome had spent most of the day waiting at the front door despite Kun Loon's gentle redirection to the living room. Clark was silent as he recalled how the girl had simply waited at the entrance of the Fortress.

Souta had innocently let her outside when he'd come home from school. He was very excited to have his sister back even if she was very strange. Grampa Higurashi had neglected to close the well house door. One thing lead to another and Kagome had shambled her way into the small building when Kun Loon found her leaning over the edge of the wooden structure, reaching for something.

Before she could stop her, Kagome leaned too far and fell the considerable distance to the bottom of the dry well.

Looking down the well Clark saw his daughter sitting calmly staring almost pensively at something clutched in her hands. Easily making his way down he crouched in the limited space.

Speaking gently in Japanese, _"What are you doing down here, Kagome? You gave your mother quite a scare."_

For the first time Kagome straightened her head weakly and looked into his eyes. They were still seemingly empty but he couldn't ignore the feeling that something important had happened. Slowly she extended her hands to reveal a pink marble cupped in her palms.

" _Its very pretty. Is that why you came down here? To get that? You could have asked someone to get it for you rather than falling."_ He told her calmly, " _Now lets go back up to Mama. "_

He looked up at Kun Loon who was leaning eagerly over the edge, watching them, " _We're coming up now."_

He carried the girl back up and made his way to the living room with Kun Loon before speaking, he tried to avoid being spotted in his uniform in Japan. He didn't want to lead villains to his family after all.

Setting Kagome down on the couch he swiftly changed into some of Clark Kents clothes that Kun Loon kept on hand for him for when they went on dates or family outings with Souta. Clark was the only father Souta had ever known and he felt he owed it to the deceased Mr. Higurashi for raising Kagome.

Unexpectedly Kagome raised her cupped hands once more, clearly offering the marble to Kun Loon.

Kun Loon's brows delicately knitted as she took the pink marble from Kagome, _"She fell for this? A broken keychain?"_

" _Keychain?"_ Clark echoed as he cleaned a smudge of dirt from Kagome's face with a washcloth.

Kun Loon simply left the room for a moment and he could see her rustling through some of the boxes of shrine merchandise her father-in-law sold with his x-ray vision.

Returning she kneeled next to him with a keychain dangling from her fingers. The wooden fob stated 'Higurashi Shrine' and was connected to a familiar pink marble, " _We sell these to tourists. Why would she want a broken one?"_

She directed her gaze to Kagome who again silently met her mother's gaze, " _Wouldn't you rather have a nice one, Kagome?_ " She offered the keychain but the girl didn't reach for it, instead she reached for the broken one.

Smiling she gave the marble back to the girl who immediately clutched it to her chest. Turning to Clark he saw the worry in her eyes and assured her again that all of the tests he'd done said she was normal, that he also couldn't see any brain damage.

"… _I think all we can do is wait and see what happens. Maybe all she needs is time. I promise I'll help as much as possible."_

" _I've never doubted you Clark. My_ swellu _American farm boy."_ With that she gave him a chaste kiss that he returned.

 **Sad, eh? But I'll give a small hint as to whats wrong with her, its something that happened to her two times in the canon that I'm aware of. And if you've read the manga it sort of parallels something from something in the first couple of books.**

 **Yeah, I pulled the old "miko's can birth full whatever" cliche, because I can. And Kun Loon is a miko, she's just never faced supernatural entities. But she was raised on a shrine and taught the rituals/chants/blessings.**

 **On that note Kag's time in the feudal era was completely different. Majorly different. Like only loosely similar. You'll see later. Maybe I'll start the next chapter with what happened when little 11 year old Kags fell down the well. Or do you guys want to see more superman/ Kags bonding for a bit or both? Let me know!**

 **It will be a chap or so before we see Conner, but boy do I have plans!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm still alive guys.**

 **Still don't own Young Justice or InuYasha**

Clark pushed up his glasses as they crept down the bridge of his nose as he typed away at his desk. The Daily Planet was truly a relic of the past, how many reporters could say that they actually worked in an office?

He wondered when exactly the day would come that the office did what every other newspaper had done: shut down the office and have the reporters work from home.

Working from home sounded like a double edged sword to Clark on one hand he'd spend far more time with his family but at the same time he'd lose those first leads and whispers of danger. The press pass gave him the ability to go behind the scenes when he was out of costume to investigate.

It was why he'd joined the news workforce in the first place.

But he suspected that Bruce was the sole reason that the Daily Planet continued to practice as they did.

He'd called Kun Loon every day for the past week for updates having been unable to leave Metropolis. Batman had unfortunately been correct in his prediction that there would be a steep increase in petty crime.

Mostly back alley muggings and attempted assaults by the bolder of the criminal class. He'd spent the week putting a stop to it, assuring Metropolis that he'd returned. Thankfully there was very little League work at the moment, only a few natural disasters and a few minor villas plots. His gut instinct told him that the lull in major Super villain heists meant they were planning large scale operations that would be a pain later on.

As far as he knew there had been no major changes with Kagome. According to Kun Loon she was much the same: occasionally shambling around the house aimlessly while clutching her little pink marble. She spoke single words on occasion but seemed to respond best to her mother.

Clark felt the small box in his suit jacket more keenly than a pound of kryptonite as he stood from his desk, sure to make a show of stretching 'sore' limbs. Tonight was the night he'd decided that morning as he got ready for work.

Leisurely exiting the Daily Planet Clark swiftly transformed into his costume to patrol for a few hours to stave off the ever growing anxiety.

What if she said no? The question plagued him as he took down several burglars. This continued until 01:45AM when the man of Steel decided to call it a night.

Pleased with his patrol, and no League work at the moment Superman took a zeta tube he'd had installed to Japan that lead to a discrete Photo Booth next to a small pet shop about 15 minutes from the shrine. As far as he knew only Batman knew about the new zeta location.

Dressed as Clark Kent he bumbled his way through the throngs of people in the early afternoon rush. Souta had the day off from school if he recalled correctly, meaning Clark had the whole weekend ahead of him to be with his family.

~!~!~!~!~ Higurashi Shrine

"Welcome home, Papa." Souta offered in near perfect English as his thumbs jabbed violently at the video game controller in his hands.

"Howdee-do, Sport." Clark replied in his 'country' twang that never failed to get a smile from his all but adopted son, "Looks like you got past the pirates." He noted as he glanced at the television screen.

"It was so cool, Papa! Turns out it was the bad guy- Naraku, y'know the guy in the baboon skin? He held the Captain's sister the Governess captive, forcing him to be bad! But I freed the Captain and got the Sea Gem. It was a really hard battle!" Souta rambled eagerly about the RPG game that was very popular amongst elementary schoolers. Clark had gotten him the game for his birthday for the two of them to play together.

So far it had been an imaginative adventure and Clark was enjoying the experience. "You're playing it awfully early. Done with homework already?"

Distractedly the boy replied in a curt, "Yep. All done."

"I'm gonna check in 3…2…" Clark widened his eyes comically, leaving no doubt he was referring to his x-ray vision.

"Eeep… No! W-wait! I've only got a few math problems left!" Scrambling, Souta pressed the PAUSE button before tearing out of the living room and up the stairs.

Chuckling Superman saw the boy digging into his school bag for a math work book with his eyes. A quick scan reaffirmed the position of the other members of the household. Higurashi Jii-san was munching on dried sardine snacks while listening to a radio pop station that tended to feature J-Pop idol bands in his room while perusing what looked like a hokey book on the supernatural.

Kun Loon was humming merrily to herself as she prepared dinner. Looked like a hearty stew.

Occasionally she would sway a beat or two, clearly dancing to the song in her mind. Maybe he should make the time to take dance lessons with her, could be fun.

Square dancing could be a real hoot he mused as he imagined Kun Loon dressed in a flannel top, jeans, and cowboy boots. After a moment he decided if Kun Loon were to get a pair of boots, it was only proper she got a nice pair of red ones.

The only member of the house he didn't need to use his powers to observe was already in the living room with him.

Kagome sat slumped into the couch motionless as she clutched her pink marble in her right hand. She seemed to be staring at some unfocussed spot on the carpet, occasionally blinking.

Her hair had been trimmed (he reminded himself he still needed to ask Kun Loon how she'd managed that- Kryptonian hair was impossible to cut with normal scissors) to a far more manageable length to below her shoulders, mid back. Today it had been sloppily braided (Souta's handiwork if he had to guess). She wore a long sleep shirt that reached mid calf, depicting one of her favorite characters from before she'd disappeared: Sham.

Sham was a cute anime about a Chinese cat that moves to Japan with her owner. There was a lot of merchandise due to the popularity of the character and Kun Loon had decided to get a few items, hoping Kagome might recognize or react to the character.

"Hello my little Sunflower. Did you have a good day today?" He asked in English as he kissed her brow before settling on the couch next to her to read the Japanese newspaper. It was refreshing to read articles not written by people he knew.

He soon had a large purring lump snoozing on his lap as he read. Mindlessly he rubbed the silky fur of a grateful Buyo as he read a few of the articles out loud to Kagome.

 **Later that evening**

"We never did see that small shrine…" He ventured lamely as he set her on the ground.

Kun Loon's eyes sparkled in recognition as she gave a small gasp, "I've not been back here since Ji-san's funeral."

"Do you remember the way? If not I can-" Clark was cut off before the offer to fly them to the top left his lips.

"I can find my way in complete darkness here!" She lightly boasted and he caught her next words that were whispered to herself, "I always could."

The crisp mountain air carried the lively whispers of the night. Kun Loon seemed to glow in the pale moon light as she took his hand and began the trek up the mountain of her childhood home.

The metal of the ring had been carefully crafted from a small piece of the ship that had delivered him safely to Earth as an infant. And her son Souta had chosen the lump of charcoal that he'd squeezed into a diamond and shaped with his heat vision.

Kun Loon was not one for showy or glitzy jewelry, he'd discerned from the past four years of dating. Rather more dainty and personalized pieces shined upon her brighter than a princess's crown. The cheap, imperfect single pearl necklace gifted by a young Kagome and Grampa was worn proudly as were the inexpensive crystal earrings from Mr. Higurashi who'd been unable to afford actual diamond earrings.

He prayed that the ring he'd crafted would be well received now that Kagome had been found. Tonight was the culmination of one of Clarks' very deepest wishes ever since he left Kun Loon all those summers ago.

And he'd be damned if he didn't do this right! He'd read a few books and grilled Pa on the best way to go about this.

The being with powers and strength of the gods had never looked more human than he did in that moment as he sank to one knee. The small box was proffered in his hands as he exposed the ring in the soft moonlight.

" _I can't promise that it would be an easy marriage, but I vow to do my very best to be there for you, Kagome, and Souta. I love you Kun Loon, I have ever since that summer and I always will."_

The warmth in the depths of her chocolate brown eyes could not be contained as tears flowed down her face. In an instant she was there on his level as she clung to him with a soft "Yes."

For the first time in his life on Earth Clark spoke in his native dialect of Kryptonian (taught to him by the crystals of Jor-El) as he held his love in his arms, " **My Beloved, my heart.** "

~!~!~!~ **Next morning: Daily Planet**

"What's with the doughnuts, Smallville?"

"I proposed to my girlfriend last night." His smile was wide and genuine as he held the colorful selection of sprinkled doughnuts. Lois seemed a bit dazed by the intensity of his smile.

"Girlfriend? I always pegged you for a-. Ah, never mind!" Lois seemed to remember herself as she took a pastry with bright green icing and chocolate chips, "Congrats."

She offered as she took a large savory bite and continued clacking away on an expose that would no doubt tempt many readers tomorrow morning.

Ouch. Only marginally miffed by the less than polite jab, Clark continued his way around his office offering the eagerly accepted sweet treats in exchange for hearty congratulations.

Jimmy had already offered his services as a wedding photographer for a rather generous discount.

"See I got this new lens for my XYZ Camera! Super sweet shots! Take a look at these shots of a hummingbird in my mom's garden, isn't the detail amazing?!" Clark listened with half an ear and a smile as Jimmy proceeded to show off his new 'toy' to him.

He was on cloud nine right now and nothing short of Kagome 'awakening' would make his mood any better. In fact he should visit Ma and Pa to share the happy news tonight.

As it was they'd been baying for Souta and KunLoon to come visit for the past two years. It was only the revelation that Kagome was in no state to travel right now that was subsiding the demand for grandchildren visits.

Clark had the sneaking suspicion that Pa had to all but bar Ma in the house to keep her from jumping on the next plane to Tokyo.

~!~!~!~!~!~! **Four Years Ago: The Beginning**

She'd always been able to find home from the Goshinboku! Relieved to spot a familiar landmark the child swiftly made her way towards the tree.

Was this what her Grampa called 'graffiti?' She wondered as she stared at the scraps of red cloth pinned by an arrow. The material fluttered in the wind and she wondered why someone would do such a thing.

Her attention was drawn away from the fabric by something crunching beneath her sneakers. "A dog bone?" Kagome asked no one in particular as she crouched down to look at the pile of bones, "It doesn't look like those rawhide ones though."

Unafraid she picked up the long one that had broken beneath her feet. It looked like one from the skeleton that sometimes was used in her science class. But why was it here?

Pawing at the dirt Kagome soon discovered a skull, but it didn't look right to her. "Is it just a prop or decoration then?" She wondered as she lifted it up as she tried to clean the dirt off of it. The teeth were weird and long like a movie monster's making the girl all the more certain that the skull was just a fake. Turning it in her hands she felt and heard something clink and rattle inside, "Did a piece break?"

Peering into the hole at the bottom of the skull she saw something small and shiny. A black marble she wondered as she worked to get the object out.

Holding the black object she felt odd, like a heartbeat just travelled down her arm. "Maybe I shouldn't be holding this?"

As she looked at the pretty bead she nearly jumped out of her skin as something hit the tree next to her. Turning swiftly she almost didn't understand what she saw- an arrow was embedded deep into the bark of the mighty tree, unnervingly close to her head.

A rough voice yelled, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Two strong looking men with bows aimed at her approached yelling questions at her. Was she in trouble? Only bad people used weapons!

A small whimper escaped her as she dropped the fake skull and covered her head with her arms, shrinking backwards into the Goshinboku as far as she could go, the wood groaned with the pressure.

Fear fueled tears began to well up as the men came closer still yelling questions at her.

~!~!~!

The two men who'd shot the arrows at her had tied her up with ropes and forced her to walk to a really old looking town- like something out of her history book old!

As she looked at the rice paddies, something she'd only seen when they visited her Uncle who lived in the rural mountains, a sound she'd only heard in movies got her attention. It sounded like hoofbeats, a horse?

An old gnarled woman dressed in miko garb dismounted the horse and hobbled towards her, a longbow clutched in an arthritic hand.

Kagome was beyond scared- not only had she been grabbed by a half naked monster now she'd been shot at with actual arrows. And perhaps worst of all wicked sharp looking farm tools had been swung dangerously close to her face by angry men!

Now there was a whole group of people staring at her and muttering awful things that she could hear. "Mayhaps a spy?" "'Nother wars a'brewn'." "Such indecent clothes-must be a demon fer' sure!"

These people dressed and talked strangely and she couldn't take it anymore! She began to tremble with fear, desperate for her Mama to hurry and find her!

The old lady spoke in a croaky voice that did nothing to soothe the panicking child, "What have we here? Kitsune? Bah, begone!" With that the old woman reached into a small jar and pelted the girl with handfuls of the contents. Kagome blinked and spluttered as she tasted salt. Why were they throwing salt at her?

The people behind the old woman began to jeer at her and Kagome couldn't help it- she reached her hands up to protect her face and began to cry loudly.

"Lady Kaede the ropes!" One person cried out.

Kaede blinked her single eye as she realized what had happened- the child had snapped through the ropes binding her as though they were mere paper. It didn't seem to be an evil spirit or a demon for the purification salts had done nothing.

But no normal human could break through such bindings, least of all a crying child.

Fearing more for the villagers safety Kaede ushered everyone back to their homes so that she might discern the true nature of the being in the form of a crying child.

Bow still clutched in her left hand Kaede cautiously spoke to it, "What manner of beast be ye?"

Kagome sniffled and peeked at the old woman through her fingers, "I'm not a beast! I'm Kagome. And I wanna go home!"

"Ah Kagome, is it? Come now and we shall see about returning you to your village." Her hut had been blessed to keep evil spirits out, if the child had evil intentions she would be unable to enter.

"Will we be able to call my Mama there?" tentatively Kagome stood and brushed off her cheeks, now grubby from tears.

Pouting she sulked while eating a stew that had one too many chunky vegetables for her liking while the lady suddenly started to tell her a story. No choice but to listen she supposed as she sipped at the food.

"So he killed her over a magic jewel? That's a sad story." Kagome was pensive over the tragic love story. So the red coat on the Goshinboku was this InuYasha's?

The skull must have been his too then. Gingerly she reached into her pocket where the little black ball was. It didn't feel like glass or a plastic bead, but it also wasn't white like a pearl. She didn't know what it was but it was hers now she supposed. No one had claimed it in 50 years, right? So it was okay if she kept it.

"Hush, girl. Ye have not heard everything. Where was I? Ah, yes I obeyed my elder sister's wishes to burn the jewel with her body. But unfortunately that was not enough to destroy the jewel. It remained even when my sister was nothing more than ash. She failed to take it to the next world with her. Thus a new guardian was chosen and since the time of my sister there have been two new guardians."

Kagome didn't understand why this old lady was telling her a strange story. The woman was silent now, tending to a basket full of leaves. Bored she looked around the room, anxious to find the phone so that she could call Mama. But there was no phone. Or electricity.

"Are we still in Tokyo? Mama will want me home soon." She asked as she realized that staying in a place like this was probably a bad idea. The lady didn't seem bad, but who lived in a hut with a dirt floor and no power?

The lady blinked her single eye, "I've never heard such a name before. Be that the land of your birth?"

"I.. Guess so…" Kagome mumbled, concern licking in her veins like fire. These people were Japanese but didn't know Tokyo? That couldn't possibly be right!

"You know, Tokyo! With all the trains, an' pretty skyscrapers?" She was rambling now but couldn't stop herself.

There were no villages near the direction where the child had been found by the two hunters.

Kaede had never heard of such things before, buildings that touched the sky made of a clear material, a 'car', or 'tv'. But the child spoke to her as though she ought to know what these things were. As far as Kaede could tell child did not behave like a half-wit or an insane person, meaning she believed the nonsensical things she spoke of to be true.

The monstrous strength was proven when she'd ordered the child to lift a large pot that took two fully grown people to lift when empty let alone when filled with water. The girl lifted it with unnerving ease.

There was no doubt, this child was special. Beyond anything the elderly woman could handle.

"Mayhaps…" she gasped as a sudden idea began to form as she gazed at the girl sleeping next to the fire.

The child had been supplied with a straw mat to sleep on along with a simple kimono to serve as a blanket.

Arthritic hands struggled to clumsily write a note, the elderly woman was only barely literate. Her elder sister had taught her to read scrolls of knowledge only briefly before her death. And sadly Kaede had not been a willing or proficient student at the time. There were many words she did not know how to write but she did her best as she hunched over the scroll inspecting her work with a critical eye. But it would do. Such an auspicious child was clearly the will of the Kami.

In her advanced age Kaede doubted her ability to teach such a blessed child, her future must be provided for and a teacher found.

Before the sun rose Kaede left the hut to seek aid in taking the child to where she would serve a grand purpose. It could be nothing but fate that the girl had been found near the holy Goshinboku, so close to where one of the previous Shikon Guardians had died. As such it made sense to the aged miko that the girl should be presented to the current Shikon Guardian.

Ichirou was a middle aged artisan who had four children of his own, it was agreed that he would best be suited to the task in delivering the girl to the shrine where the current priestess resided.

Kagome looked at the animal in awe, having never seen a real horse so close in her life outside of television. Her fingers itched to stroke it, yet she did not want to be in trouble for touching someone else's animal. Mama had always said to ask before touching someone's dog- perhaps horses were the same?

She didn't really want to go anywhere but the promise of riding a horse was compelling and perhaps the place they were taking her had a police station with a phone!

And so without much protest she allowed herself to be lifted up by the man on the horse, clutching the scroll the one eyed Kaede had given her.

Giving the girl a fond smile despite their short acquaintance Kaede squeezed her hand fondly, "Kagome, ye shall be going to the Hitomi Shrine now, be sure to mind your new mistress, Hitomiko-sama's teachings and ye shall thrive."

"I don't understand." Kagome muttered as she carded her free hand in the horse's rough mane, "Will I be able to call Mama there? I'll be in trouble if I don't show up at school tomorrow you know."

"Mayhap." Was all Kaede replied before Ichirou began to nudge the horse onwards.

Unknowingly traveling further and further from the very object that might have granted her safe passage home, the Bone Eater's well sat unassuming and forgotten in its field. The connection undiscovered and soon to be forgotten by a child who would soon only recall the Goshinboku with the tattered red coat fluttering uselessly in the wind.

~!~!~!

A week full of tantrums made only slightly dangerous by the child's unknowing strength brought an exhausted Ichirou to the foot of the Hitomi shrine with his unruly charge. Thankfully she was without violence and was easily kept in line with verbal reprimands.

Were she his own child he'd have beaten such impertinence from her long ago.

Kagome for her part thought Ichirou a rather dumb adult, one who'd not been able to answer what she saw as simple questions such as why he didn't own a car, if she'd get an excuse note for her school soon, or smell like he never bathed. He must be what her mother called 'mentally challenged' she supposed as she dismounted the horse and began the trek up the shrine stairs.

Several people dressed in the familiar garb of priest and priestess garb could be seen on the shrine grounds as they approached the long awaited destination.

Narrowing her eyes Kagome realized there were no phones in this place either, both Ichirou and Kaede had lied to her.

The frustration, fear, and uncertainty reached a boiling point. Kagome would be later ashamed of her actions but the moment the girl was dragged over the threshold of the shrine she lost complete control of her emotions erupting into a tantrum not unlike a force of nature. Holes were stomped, punched, and kicked into any offending surface unfortunate to lie in her path as she screamed like the child she was for her mother.

Not the best impression to leave on one's future guardian.

~!~!~!~! Some time later that evening

Hitomiko glanced at the poorly written scrawl of a priestess called Kaede, of whom she'd never made the acquaintance of nor had word of mouth ever mentioned the woman. But she knew of the priestess called Kikyou. As the current guardian to the Shikon no Tama Hitomiko was well versed in the succession of the jewel. The Lady Kikyou was amongst the most powerful to guard it. In her own youth she'd been compared to the woman countless times.

But even such a powerful miko had fallen in duty. The light of her reading candle flickered casting long shadows upon the walls as the miko took in the strange tale upon the scroll.

This child was found wandering the accursed woods of the fallen half-demon InuYasha, playing with the very bones of the hanyou beneath the sacred tree. The very beast who had brought about the downfall of Kikyou-sama.

When brought before Lady Kaede the girl denied knowledge of the lands and demanded her mother. Supposedly the child possessed the strength of a monster and not a single of the purifying spells cast upon her had any effect.

In her conversation with the girl, Lady Kaede believed the girl to be either a celestial being or more likely a mikogami- the child of a Kami and a miko. The child confessed to her mother living upon a shrine located in lands unknown.

Were it not for the newly placed holes in her temple floors Hitomiko would have dismissed such outlandish claims. Alas, such extraordinary claims had already provided extraordinary evidence much to her chagrin.

The sister of the Miko Kikyou saw the child's discovery at the sacred tree as auspicious and requested that Hitomiko herself discern if the child had the makings to become the next guardian of the Shikon.

"What is your name, child?"

"I am Kagome. I want my Mama. Please take me home!" The small child sniffled as she gripped the hem of her strange upper garment that depicted an unfamiliar flower pattern. She'd calmed from her destructive rampage.

"That is beyond this one's power. I am Hitomiko. You shall be taught to ascertain the will of the gods under mine tutelage. If you prove thyself ye shall be considered for the honor of bearing the title of Guardian of the Shikon no Tama."

The child struck the floor once more placing yet another sizable hole, "NO! I WANNA GO HOME! MAMA! Mama! Mama…" she collapsed upon the floor pleading for her mother as any frightened child seeking comfort was won't to do.

No doubt the shock of the mortal plane was harsh if Kagome were indeed a Miko-gami and gift from the very Kami themselves Hitomiko discerned as she cautiously approached the weeping form curled pitifully on the ground.

Despite the sheer power displayed the Miko could sense nary a trace of ill intent or malicious will. She could grudgingly understand the conclusion of the elderly village Miko Kaede that the girl was a miko-gami or celestial offspring born unto a miko via a Kami when the sheer force of purity radiated in cloying waves from the girl in question.

Gently she drew the sobbing girl into her arms.

 **Sorry for the delay guys, life sort of hit me.**

 **You guys, you have no idea how strangely natural it is for me to write Superman in such a dare I say,** _ **normal**_ **, domestic way. And nah, there won't be any Lois hate here- she just loves Superman but not Clark Kent.**

 **And here the only reason Clark was interested in her was because he saw her** _ **I DO WHAT I WANT**_ **attitude as something he secretly wished Kun Loon had back when he heard about her arranged marriage.**

 **Didn't help that she shared a passing resemblance to Kun Loon. But poor Superman realized early on it would never work as she never even looked his way as Clark Kent.**

 **Yup quite a few changes already- the well's power went undiscovered, InuYasha died pinned to the tree, Kikyou failed to take the Shikon no Tama into the afterlife meaning Kagome was not necessarily born to carry it nor is she the reincarnation of Kikyou, and given to the care of a proper teacher.**

 **Hope it doesn't tick too many people off. But to be fair I did warn that things would be different.**

 **All in all I found this chap a bit rough, but hopefully I'll go back and polish it.**

 **Soon… Soon Conner will appear!**


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